


That One Time Neil Hired Some Raiders

by RedHeadFireBred



Series: That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [9]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Andrew Minyard Has Feelings, Boys Kissing, Crack Treated Seriously, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Intimacy, Kissing, Love, M/M, Magic, Marriage, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Neil Josten Is an Idiot, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Not Beta Read, Oblivious Neil Josten, POV Neil Josten, Prince Andrew Minyard, Protective Andrew Minyard, Protective Neil Josten, Royalty, Sassy Neil Josten, Soft Andrew Minyard, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Swearing, Weddings, Witch Neil Josten, Witchcraft, Witches, but it's for the fluff, but only for like 2 seconds 'cause i couldn't handle it, no beta we die like men, probably a bit OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 08:35:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29623557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHeadFireBred/pseuds/RedHeadFireBred
Summary: Three months after Andrew was crowned King, he and Neil travel with their friends to the Vixen Kingdom to attend Aaron's wedding. But the journey across the kingdom isn't without any dangers, no matter how small they may seem.~*~Or, Andrew manages to not kill anyone (even though he wants to), Neil makes a new friend and Jack is an asshole.NOTE: There are eight parts before this I recommend reading first to understand what's going on!
Relationships: Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose
Series: That One Time Neil Ended Up In a Fairy Tale [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092800
Comments: 30
Kudos: 120





	That One Time Neil Hired Some Raiders

**Author's Note:**

> Oh guys it's been a hot minute. I'm sorry it took so long for this to come out, I hope I did okay to make up for my break. I hope you enjoy my darlings!

About three months after Andrew was crowned King, the invitations to Aaron’s wedding started coming in.

He’d moved out just a few days after the coronation to move to Vixen. Neil had laughed about it before Nicky told him he’d intended on moving a long time ago but wasn’t able to because Andrew had gotten cursed. He made sure to annoy Aaron as much as he could in the days leading up to his departure, going so far as to offer to enchant a mirror so they could have direct communication if needed. Aaron had refused multiple times until Andrew mentioned it would be a good thing to have incase of an emergency. He’d hesitantly accepted the small hand-held mirror after that comment, but right after he left Andrew had openly smirked and Neil knew Aaron was going to smash the thing.

Life in the palace wasn’t difficult to get used to, either. Working as Andrew’s court witch _did_ required him to be around a lot, but Neil also knew he was just allowed to hang out with Andrew more often because of whatever was going on between them. The two had sort of just left it unsaid, both knowing there was more to their ‘this’ without having to say so. And if anyone asked, there was nothing, which always made Neil snort to himself.

Three months went by in a blur, and suddenly one morning Neil was opening an elegant envelope from Vixen spelling out the date and times of Aaron and Katelyn’s wedding. The invitation was pretty, but Neil wondered why Aaron thought he and Andrew weren’t obligated to come to his wedding in the first place. He heard Andrew walk up behind him, eventually stopping when they were back to chest and hooked his chin over Neil’s shoulder. Neil was pretty sure Andrew was on his tiptoes to do so, and his chin was a bit bony but he wasn’t going to complain about the close contact.

“Sorry, did you want to see this?” he asked, turning his head just enough so Andrew would be able to see his smirk.

“I don’t care,” Andrew mumbled, not moving from his position. After a second he continued, “Lift it up, I can't read it.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you decided to be short.”

Andrew let out a slow sigh through his nose and took a step back. Neil immediately missed the warmth but he wasn’t going to take back what he said. “I’m leaving you,” Andrew said as he walked towards his desk.

“Wait, I can make you a potion that’ll make you taller,” Neil said, laughing to himself as he ran up behind Andrew. He easily passed over the invitation and made sure to ask if it was okay for a hug before he went for it, leaning his face into Andrew’s neck.

“Two weeks?” Andrew asked, sounding just a little upset.

“We’ve known for months,” Neil mumbled.

“Still, he should’ve sent these sooner.”

That was true, but with everything as crazy as it had been Neil supposed Aaron was probably just happy he didn’t have to change his wedding date. “Do we have to get him a wedding gift?”

Andrew shrugged once, jostling Neil away from his body. He turned away and walked towards the large wardrobe they both now shared, opening it up and staring inside. “We’ll need something for it.”

They already had so many clothes Neil wondered why they’d need any new ones. In his own opinion they had fancy enough suits to wear, but when it came to things like fashion he figured he’d never win an argument. He half-heartedly protested enough about the outfits Andrew picked out for him each day. “Why?” he decided to ask, shoving aside some of the things on Andrew’s desk so that he could sit on it. “Unless you plan on out-dressing your brother, there really isn’t a reason.”

When all Neil got in response was a short hum, he knew that was _exactly_ what Andrew was planning on doing. Probably just to be annoying. He started thinking of ideas to get the couple as a gift, wondering how offended Aaron would be if he gave him one of those height changing potions he’d just offered Andrew, and decided Aaron would be _very_ offended and it would be hilarious. So that’s what he’d get him.

“You’re thinking shit again,” Andrew said quietly, walking up to where Neil was still sitting on his desk. Neil shifted his legs more open so that Andrew could have more room.

“Maybe,” he said. “Just thinking of a wedding gift.”

Andrew pursed his lips just slightly. “I’m going to need to get him my own, aren’t I?”

“I mean, unless you want in on the height changing potion,” Neil said with a smirk. “And mirrors. More mirrors.”

“Aaron’s going to murder you, and I’m going to let him.”

“That’s fine. I can take care of myself.”

Andrew slapped the outside of one of his thighs lightly. Neil grumbled a complaint but hopped off the desk when Andrew moved away, this time heading towards the doors to their room. Neil quickly followed him out and down the winding hallways towards the throne room. “We’ll need to make travel plans,” Andrew told him as they went. “Preparations for my absence.”

“How many people are we taking with?” Neil asked with a frown.

“Another thing you need to learn,” Andrew said, glancing over his shoulder. “Anyone who wants to will take a chance to kill a monarch if they can.”

As it would turn out, there was a lot more that went into preparations for a king to go traveling than Neil ever thought there would be. For one, he needed to make sure that whoever was in charge while he was gone was trustworthy and that the kingdom wouldn’t be left to ruin, either. He needed to pick out specific guards and carriages and exactly the travel route they would take. Then Allison decided to barge in on their planning because she had her own invitation and claimed it would be easier if they all traveled together.

And lastly, Andrew had picked out decoys to ride in the carriage, basically pretending to be him and Neil. Neil thought that was ridiculous and reminded Andrew that he had _magic_ and could protect the entire party easily if needed, but in the end that part of the plan stuck. 

So that’s why, on the evening of their night to leave, they ended up doing the most elaborate switching of places ever. Neil had been pulled around and eventually dragged to the knight’s quarters, where he and Andrew squeezed on a single bed and tried to get some sleep before the trip. Neil wondered if Andrew was just paranoid or if this was actually protocol for monarchs.

“Your elbows are so boney,” Andrew grumbled in his ear that night. Neil was blankly staring at the stone wall he was facing, arms kind of at his sides but forced to be pressed against Andrew because that’s just how narrow the bed was. He’d originally thought it would be nice to be stuck so close like that, but he was now cursing his past self and considering sleeping on the floor.

“And your feet are cold,” he shot back. “Who the hell doesn’t wear socks to bed?”

“Who the hell _wears socks to bed?”_

“Urg,” Neil huffed. “I can’t control how boney my elbows are.”

“I can’t control my poor circulation.” 

“Fair.” He did his best to turn around with little space they had, moving his elbows away from Andrew’s body and bringing them face to face. Andrew’s eyes were closed but there was no way he was asleep yet. “I can just sleep on the floor,” Neil offered.

“On stone?” Andrew asked, blinking one eye open.

“I’ve slept on worse.”

“I believe you.” Andrew closed his eyes again. “But no. I already told you this was okay.”

And he had. Neil made sure when he saw the narrow bed it would be okay for them to share, probably asked too many times if that was possible. But Andrew’s answer could change at any time just like his own could, so he liked to make sure. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just think this is all a bit much.”

“Yes,” Andrew agreed easily. “It is. But you never know.”

“It’s not like we can’t defend ourselves in a fight,” Neil added after a second.

He got a sleepy hum in reply, so he knew he should really quiet down, but he was feeling too riled up for sleep right now. “Everyone knows that,” Andrew mumbled.

“Exactly. See, this is all pointless. You’ll see.”

Andrew opened his eyes just to roll them, then immediately went back to sleep.

“Dick,” Neil huffed, resting his head on the single pillow where there was room and deciding to spend the rest of the time he was awake studying Andrew’s face, which was one of his favorite pastimes.

The next day they both woke up as rested as they could be for the journey ahead. Like the other knights coming along, they dressed as though they were common travelers, wearing chainmail underneath simple tunics and cloaks over small packs. Andrew had apparently taken the chance to dress in all black, buckling his knife holsters into place on his thighs and keeping on his arm guards. Neil was pleasantly surprised to be given back his gray tunic and green cloak that Andrew had stolen forever ago, washed and pressed and patched up. He kept giving Andrew fond smiles that weren’t returned, but he didn’t mind in the least.

After a pointlessly long charade of the people pretending to be him and Andrew getting into the carriage along with Nicky and Erik, the party was off. Allison had been invited in the carriage as well but she’d claimed she would get bored in there, and would much rather ride next to Renee for the journey. The two were directly behind the carriage, followed closely by Neil and Andrew with Kevin at the rear. Dan and Matt were leading with two other knights.

“This is stupid,” Neil said under his breath for at least the tenth time that day.

“You saying that this is stupid makes it more stupid,” Andrew said back.

He wasn’t wrong, it’s just that Neil enjoyed complaining about minor inconveniences. That and this was the first time they were traveling together since they rode to Palmetto after the curse was broken, and he was - just a little bit - missing having a swan curled up at his front, smooshed into the saddle but determined to make it work anyway. He wondered what Andrew would say if he asked if they could ride together on the same horse, since it’s not as though they were too heavy for it and Neil would certainly enjoy it. But this journey had the very real possibility of getting ambushed, so Neil had a feeling his request wouldn’t be granted.

A sudden thought came to him. “Are you really risking death just to outshine your brother at his own wedding?”

Andrew didn’t answer, but he actually let out a long sigh through his nose, which made the question worth it.

“This is going to be great,” Allison spoke up, glancing over her shoulder to grin at Neil and Andrew. “It’s the biggest event this year.”

“Why?” Neil asked, frowning to himself. 

“Because it’s a _wedding,”_ Allison explained. “The entire Vixen kingdom is pouring into the capital to see it. All the royal families will be there.”

“It’s also a spot for peace,” Renee added. “After all Riko did, this is the time for all the kingdoms to prove they’re not against one another.”

“So, as long as we don’t start a war, everything will be fine?” Neil asked.

“Yes,” Allison answered with a nod.

“Hopefully,” Renee said more quietly.

“That means watch your mouth,” Andrew spoke up, glancing at Neil out of the corners of his eyes.

The only person Neil intended on pissing off was Aaron, so he figured they would be okay. It’s not like he was the one in charge, that was Katelyn. “Should’ve told me that before I made Aaron more mirrors,” he teased.

Andrew very clearly rolled his eyes. “That means Ichirou is going to be there, Neil.”

Oh. Well, okay. Neil quickly looked away and stared ahead towards the carriage, feeling the shift in the air. He should’ve guessed that would be the case, but for some reason that thought had never crossed his mind. 

It was awkward for a few minutes until Allison declared she couldn’t take it anymore and started rambling about a time she’d visited Vixen and talked about how nice the place was. Neil kept quiet and mostly tuned her out, stuck with his own thoughts, but he was brought back when he felt something lightly hit his cheek. He looked to the side to see Andrew giving him a hard look, holding a tiny pebble that he flicked towards Neil. It brought a tiny smile back to Neil’s face and he started focusing again, pushing his worries about Ichirou away for now.

The first day of traveling was uneventful. It was slow going to get to the kingdom, and in the end it would take about three days to get there if they kept their pace. They made camp for the night and discussed the road ahead: just as mountains marked the border between Palmetto and E’Allen, there were also mountains between Palmetto and Vixen. Between two mountains was a gap that a large forest grew in - not as large as the Enchanted Forest, and with far less magic, but no less dangerous. Merchants and travelers usually took that route to go between kingdoms, but the forest was full of raiders and other dangerous creatures.

That’s the way they were going to go.

The second day of their journey they began to travel through the forest, hoping to get through it by nightfall. Andrew was firm in his decision to keep moving until they got out of the forest and Neil agreed with him. The long hours on horseback would be worth it if the journey through the woods was as uneventful as it could get.

Neil has bad luck. He’d forgotten about that, so that’s why he felt confident declaring that so far this journey hadn’t been bad. Allison had agreed, Renee and Andrew had ignored the comment, and Kevin warned him not to test the nymphs that were curiously following. But neither the nymphs or any other magical creature in the forest would attack them.

At about midday they were attacked by raiders. Kevin hadn’t been able to hear or see any of them coming beforehand, something that brought a bit of fear to Neil. One moment they were walking down the main road, talking about anything that came to mind, and the next they were suddenly ambushed by a rush of arrows and people jumping out of bushes and from behind trees. There were at least twenty of them, dressed in dark masks and hoods, easily able to overrun the small party. Neil had lost sight of his friends when he fell from the back of his startled horse, managing to regain his breath and get to his feet, trying to think through the pounding in his ears about what he could do. What he _had_ to do.

Any other time Neil would reach for his bow, but now he grabbed the shortsword at his side, fit to use as an amplifier for his magic. But before he could draw the blade he was roughly pushed back by a blast of dark purple magic that evaporated into the air after colliding with his body. Neil quickly looked for the source, easily locating one of the raiders casting spells, the same dark purple magic moving through the air around them. They weren’t looking at him, but Neil was starting to think that this must’ve been one of the assasination attempts Andrew had warned him about, because the magic-user _wasn’t using an amplifier._

He quickly began to look around for Andrew, but he ended up hearing him before he saw him. Andrew called his name and rode forward on his horse, holding out a hand for Neil to take to get on so they could ride away quickly. For one second Neil hesitated, wanting to confront the magic-user, maybe learn _more_ , make sure none of these raiders could ever hurt anyone again…

“Neil,” Andrew quickly repeated, as if he knew what Neil was thinking.

He stopped hesitating, grabbed Andrew’s hand and pulled himself behind his king, who guided the horse away from the battle, off the path, and further into the woods.

~*~

“Are you going to say ‘I told you so’?” Neil asked about an hour later, when they had gotten further into the woods than he was comfortable with.

“Now is not the time,” Andrew replied.

They’d managed to get away alive, but had lost the rest of the party by rushing away. Neil knew they probably wouldn’t make it against so many, especially with that one magic-user, but it didn’t feel right to leave the others. Andrew had tried to tell him that nobody had been left behind, but there was no way of knowing for sure. Not to mention those poor people that were stuck in the carriage pretending to be the king and his court witch. If those really were assassins, then they wouldn’t have hesitated to kill those two.

Andrew had told him they knew the possibilities when they took the job, but he’d said it so stoically it was as though he’d rehearsed it, and Neil knew it didn’t sit right with him either that they could die so that he would live.

He held more tightly to the back of the saddle. The horse was walking at a slow pace, hopefully in the direction of the main path, but Neil was sure they were lost. As soon as they’d gotten to a point where they couldn’t hear shouts or sounds of battle they’d slowed their pace and Andrew had told him ‘no’. So Neil held himself on the back of the horse with all the strength he had in his legs and abs and made sure that the space between their bodies stayed there. He knew there was a reason for this but he didn’t need to hear it. Maybe later he would ask.

“Someone just tried to kill us,” he said quietly. Mostly to himself, but it was there for Andrew to hear anyway.

“I’m glad you finally realized,” Andrew hissed back. Neil pressed his lips together more tightly because Andrew sounded genuinely pissed off and he didn’t want to accidentally start an argument. Especially not on the back of a horse. After a few minutes of silence, Andrew finally continued. “Stop worrying. Those weren’t assassins.”

“Then why did they - ?”

“They’re just raiders,” Andrew sighed. “They probably steal along that route all the time. But they weren’t trying to kill anyone, just cause enough confusion and fear that they could get what they wanted.”

“Oh,” Neil whispered. He glanced down at the saddle because he felt almost embarrassed that he hadn’t realized that as well. “They had a magic-user.”

“I saw.”

“They weren’t using an amplifier,” Neil mumbled. “But their magic didn’t seem to hurt them, either.”

“You saw them for a few seconds,” Andrew pointed out.

“Magic burns you up from the inside out in an instant,” Neil argued. “They must’ve trained themself to not need an amplifier.”

There was a quiet moment between them while Neil thought more about it. A tiny part of him wanted to find that magic-user and figure out how they were able to do what they could. Neil needed his shortsword to use his magic without killing himself, and he had the scars to prove it. He’d only used his magic without the shortsword three times since moving into the palace, and each time he’d been very careful, unable to take his eyes off the burns on his hands that were already there, daring him to push too far.

“Don’t even think about it,” Andrew told him.

“I’m already thinking about it,” Neil admitted.

_“Don’t,”_ Andrew repeated. “We’re going to find the others and forget we ever ran into those raiders.”

Neil frowned, looking up to stare at the back of Andrew’s head. “I can’t just forget there’s a magic-user out there who doesn’t need to use an amplifier to use their magic.”

“I’m telling you to.”

Usually he’d listen to what Andrew said, because he tended to be right, but right now Neil couldn’t. He grit his teeth and clutched more tightly to the saddle. “Is that an order?” he asked.

Andrew sharply inhaled, almost as a warning, but Neil wasn’t going to back down from this. _“Damn it,_ Neil, I’m not going to let you start your self-sacrificial bullshit again - “

He was cut off when their horse suddenly let out a loud neigh and reared back, bucking Neil off the saddle. He hit the ground and heard the pounding of the horse’s hooves getting softer as it ran off. Neil hated that this wasn’t the first time this had happened today, and that this time the wind had been knocked out of his lungs. He gasped for breath and eventually got it back, feeling dazed by the lack of oxygen and with how disoriented he felt.

“Get up.”

Neil slowly looked to his left, where a tall man dressed like the raiders they’d just run into was. He had a large bow notched with an arrow pointed at Neil’s head. “Oh, hello,” Neil mumbled, blinking a few times. He felt less disoriented, and now more dizzy. “You’ll need to give me a minute. I think I hit my head.”

Apparently he wouldn’t get a minute, because the man rushed forward and roughly pulled Neil to his feet. Neil swayed for a second but managed to keep steady, tensing when the raider started going for his pockets or anywhere he could have valuables on him. Neil lashed out without thinking, orange magic pushing the raider away. A twinge of pain went through his arm but Neil managed to not focus on it, reaching for his shortsword.

The bow and arrow was back. “Hand over what you have,” the man ordered. “Or I’ll take it off your corpse.”

“Who do you think the corpse will be?” Neil asked, drawing his blade. “Besides, I don’t have anything. Andrew’s the one with the money.”

The man let his arrow fly, and Neil barely reacted in time to dodge it. He thought of a spell quickly and began to summon the magic he had, letting it flow naturally to the shortsword, but before he could release it the man was suddenly on the ground. 

Neil stared in confusion, letting his magic calm down.

He’d been so focused on the raider that he hadn’t noticed Andrew reappearing, rushing up behind the guy and sweeping him off his feet. He lost his hold on the bow in his hands which Andrew quickly kicked away. Then he put one foot down on the raider’s chest, keeping him from getting up. Andrew didn’t seem fazed by what he’d just done, but Neil could see through the blank stare on his face, noticing the redness on his cheeks and the harsh look in his eyes. 

“Do you have any idea how stupid it is to challenge a witch?” Andrew asked the raider.

The man spat at Andrew, clearly as an insult, and tried to push up but wasn’t able to. Neil put his shortsword away and began to walk closer to the two, looking around for any sight of the horse they’d been traveling with but not seeing it anywhere.

“I just saved your life and this is how you repay me?” Andrew asked. The raider opened his mouth, probably to say something rude and pointless, but before he could speak up Andrew kicked his head, knocking him out.

Neil stared. Not at the raider, but at Andrew, who still had that look on his face and his arms crossed. There was something about him so easily taking someone down that caught Neil’s attention. That and his boots - he’d always had an appreciation for Andrew’s boots, but right now it was ridiculous.

“Stop staring,” Andrew ordered.

“Then stop wearing knee-high boots,” Neil snarked back.

Andrew took a moment to glance down at said boots. “These are just my riding boots.”

Neil paused and wondered for exactly two seconds if he should be mature about this. In the end he decided he wouldn’t be and allowed himself to snort, but tried to keep in the rest of his laughter.

It didn’t seem like Andrew was as amused. He weakly kicked Neil’s shin. “Stop.”

“Maybe - “ Neil cut himself off with a laugh. “Maybe you _should_ wear them when - “

_“Stop,”_ Andrew repeated, kicking him again. “I’m not going to reward your weird fetishes.”

“You like my weird fetishes,” Neil argued, taking a step back. 

“Your neck one is bad enough,” Andrew grumbled, turning around. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

Neil didn’t argue, but spared one last glance at the raider, still knocked out on the ground. “We’re just leaving him there?”

“We need to find our way back to the others before nightfall. Otherwise we’ll need to get to Vixen on foot.”

Which would be a _long_ way. “What happened to the horse?” Neil asked.

“Spooked,” Andrew explained. “Wouldn’t stop, so I left it. Who knows if we’ll find it again.”

Neil was willing to bet they wouldn’t, because they were very much lost and couldn’t waste time trying to find that horse again. He looked up, managing to see through the canopy of trees to see the sky, which seemed just a bit darker than he’d like. The day was coming to an end, which meant more predators would be out, and more opportunities for other thieves or assassins to kill them both.

“Can you track the others?” Andrew asked as they walked.

“Not unless I have something of theirs,” Neil answered. “I should’ve made charms for everyone, like last time.”

Andrew hummed, but didn’t say anything else.

They walked in silence for the rest of the day. By the time it got dark out they hadn’t found the main path or any of their friends. The trees seemed endless, kind of like the Enchanted Forest, but Neil wasn’t familiar with the land here. It would be best to find a safe enough place to rest for the night and continue their search in the morning. He wanted to find a river or stream first, though.

The sky slowly got darker, as did the area around them. It wasn’t dark enough that he couldn’t keep his eyes on Andrew, but everything about their situation made Neil nervous. He was hungry and tired, and was sure Andrew felt the same way, but they didn’t have anything on them other than some sparse rations and one waterskin. He was low on energy, but managed to summon up enough to do a quick spell.

“Here,” he said softly, stopping so that he could focus. Neil didn’t reach for his shortsword, instead letting his magic gather in his hands carefully, lifting them into the air and letting orange light fill the air around them. The light formed into little droplets that floated, looking a lot like fireflies that could light their way as they walked. Neil let out a breath and looked towards Andrew, who was watching with a tiny frown on his face.

Slowly, he walked forward. “I want to hold your hand,” Andrew whispered to Neil, holding out said hand in offer. “Yes or no?”

“Yes,” Neil easily answered, taking it. He hadn’t realized just how off he’d felt until Andrew’s hand was in his own. Just how upset or nervous he was about what they’d said to each other hours before, argument cut short by the random raider. How the silence between them hadn’t been their usual silences, but instead full of tension and probably a little anger, even after the teasing they’d managed.

Andrew squeezed his hand once as they started walking again. “Don’t test your limits,” he warned.

“I know my limits,” Neil replied. “I’ve tested them before. I don’t want to test them again.”

“Then don’t try to.”

Neil wanted to claim that he wasn’t, but he closed his mouth right after he opened it. He very much was testing his limits even if he tried to convince himself he wasn’t. Seeing that one magic-user from before had thrown him off, wanting to push himself to see if he could do the very same things. Andrew had noticed and this was his way of being worried. “Okay. I won’t,” Neil promised, squeezing once back.

Andrew nodded, then paused, pulling Neil to a stop next to him. “I can hear water,” he stated.

“Finally, some good news,” Neil cheered to himself. 

He let Andrew pull him in the direction of the sound, hearing it after a moment. When they found the water Neil quickly found a nearby tree that would be the best shelter for them for the night, moving leaves and organizing their cloaks while Andrew went to find some firewood. After about ten minutes he returned with some thin logs under one arm and something clutched in his other fist. “Look,” he said, tossing a stone over.

Neil caught it and looked closely while Andrew got the fire ready. He chuckled when he saw it was an opal within dark rock, the white gem sparkling with Neil’s magic lighting up the air around them. “Are you sure you don’t have any Dwarvish blood?” he asked, cradling the stone between his hands. “That would explain how you found this.”

**“No,”** Andrew replied in Dwarvish. **“Stop trying to prove that shit.”**

“Would also explain why you’re so short,” Neil said, laughing at the sour look on Andrew’s face, illuminated more with the fire he just started. “Thank you.”

Andrew looked away. **“You’re welcome.”**

“What do you want to do with it?” Neil asked. “Give it to Aaron as a wedding gift?”

“Fuck no,” Andrew said, moving to sit next to Neil. He was quiet for a moment, as though trying to think of what to say. “You said you need more gemstones.”

“For spells and charms,” Neil agreed with a shrug. Andrew stared at him blankly until he got it. “Oh. This is for me.”

“Yes, idiot.” Andrew leaned back against the nearest root. “Make your potions and charms. Talk to your animals. Work on your garden.”

Neil frowned. “Okay. I do? Am I not doing enough as a court witch?”

“I hate you,” Andrew declared, but it was nothing new. He let out a long sigh. “Stop trying to be something you’re not. Just be what you are.”

It took a moment, but Neil finally got it. “I think you’re trying to comfort me,” he said with a smirk. “So, thank you for that.”

“You’re not welcome,” Andrew huffed, moving closer to the fire. “Why is it so damn cold?”

“Just your poor circulation, ‘Drew,” Neil teased. He put the opal in a safe place in the little pack he had, then turned back. “You know the best way to warm up?”

Andrew slowly turned and gave him a warning look. “Sitting by the fire?”

“No. Sharing body heat.” Neil grinned and held out his arms. “Yes or no?”

“You’re a fucking menace,” Andrew said, mumbling the word ‘yes’ under his breath as he crawled closer. Neil tested his luck by patting his lap once, and though Andrew rolled his eyes he did sit there, leaning his back against Neil’s chest.

“Can I wrap my arms around you?” Neil whispered in his ear.

Andrew hummed an affirmative, reaching for Neil’s hands and pulling his arms where he wanted. Neil smiled at him and leaned back against the roots of the tree. “About your magic,” Andrew said quietly, leaning more into Neil’s chest. “You’re strong enough _with_ an amplifier. You don’t need to learn how not to use one.”

“I know,” Neil admitted.

“So stop your self-sacrificial bullshit. We either do something together or not at all.”

Neil’s grin grew. “Yes, ‘Drew.”

Andrew aimed a weak punch at Neil’s head. They were silent for the rest of the night, sitting next to the fire and watching the firefly lights of Neil’s magic float around them, eventually fading when the sun started to rise.

The next morning they started moving again. Neil recommended they follow the river to try to find a way out of the forest. With any luck they wouldn’t run into a lake of some sort and would be able to get out of the forest, then regroup with everyone else. It was slow moving, especially since they’d talked through their argument and the air didn’t have any tension in it. Neil rambled about the different ways he could use the opal when they got back to Palmetto and swung their clasped hands between their bodies. If he really thought about it he could imagine this was some weird date instead.

“We’ve been walking for hours,” Andrew complained in the late afternoon. 

“We got lost,” Neil pointed out. He stopped walking and looked around, eyes eventually settling on a large tree not far away. He started to walk towards it. “I could see if we’re getting close.”

“How?” Andrew asked.

“Climb the tree, what else?” Neil asked. He started to undo the buckle of his belt, laying it and his shortsword at the base of the tree. After a second of thought he decided to take off his boots as well, deciding he’d be able to climb more easily without them.

Andrew didn’t seem happy at that plan. He pursed his lips and stared up the trunk, and Neil was reminded of his fear of heights. “You’re sure?”

Neil finished taking off his boots. “Yeah, I’m sure. I used to climb trees all the time. Or did you forget I lived in the Enchanted Forest?”

Andrew didn’t answer. Instead, he just continued to look up the tree with a tiny frown on his face. “Don’t fall,” he warned.

“I won’t,” Neil promised. He grabbed the lowest branch and hauled himself up, starting to climb. “I’ll let you know if I see anything!”

He focused on climbing the tree, testing branches before putting all his weight on them. Eventually he got to the top, able to see where the edge of the forest was. They were actually headed in the right direction, and wouldn’t have to go much farther to reach it. “We’re going the right way!” he shouted with a grin, glancing down through the branches. He couldn’t see the ground through the leaves.

And there wasn’t a response.

“Andrew?” Neil called. When there was still no reply, he started to climb down as quickly as he could. He hadn’t yet reached the bottom of the tree when he heard some loud shouts and cheers, making some panic fill his veins. Andrew could take care of himself, no doubt, but against a large group? It just wasn’t a fair fight.

Sure enough, there was a large group when Neil got to the bottom of the tree. Andrew was surrounded, his hands raised in surrender and staring warily at the swords and bows aimed his way. Neil was pretty sure this was the same group of raiders that attacked their group earlier, based on their outfits. He let go of the branch he was holding to land on the ground, calling to his magic.

“Hey!” he shouted, voice booming and bringing quick quiet. Everyone quickly turned towards him, clearly on edge. “If you want him, you have to go through me,” Neil continued, as threateningly as he could. He didn’t have his shortsword easily accessible but he’d use his magic if he had to.

One of the raiders pulled his hood down to reveal his smirk. Which was stupid, because now Andrew had seen what he looks like, and would be able to find him. “We’ve already got him,” he said, pointing his broadsword at Andrew’s face.

“You don’t want me to go through you,” Neil said, raising his fists in a fighting stance. Orange light began to surround his fists.

One of the other raiders - a girl, with long black hair and a nervous look on her face - stepped forward and pushed at the smirking guy’s shoulder. “Jack, we should listen,” she insisted.

“Why?” asked Jack. He lazily moved his sword to point at Neil instead. “Why should we fear a magic-user?”

_“Because,”_ the girl continued, “he’s not using an amplifier.”

“Neither do you, Robin!”

“Are you two done?” Neil asked, lowering his fists. These were just teenagers trying to rob people, and he really wasn’t in the mood to beat the shit out of some kids. “Return our things and let us go.”

“Says who?” Jack asked.

Neil gestured towards Andrew. “That’s the King of Palmetto, you stupid idiots.”

There was a quiet murmur around the group. Some began to lower their weapons, but they all seemed more on edge at least. Robin kept glancing from Andrew to Neil, as though wondering why they were wandering around the woods. Jack didn’t seem swayed whatsoever.

“Oh, how terrifying,” he said sarcastically. “That just means there’s more to steal.”

_“Jack,”_ Robin hissed. “This is bigger than anything we’ve - “

“Which is exactly why we should be doing it!” Jack sneered and turned back to Neil. “You _people_ have no idea what it’s like to - “

“Okay, I’m done listening to you,” Neil huffed. He quickly used a spell to take Jack’s voice away, trying not to look smug when the teen continued to try to make some noise, hands reaching for his own neck and eyes widening when nothing would come out. He enjoyed watching the struggle for a moment, then took a few steps forward and looked to Robin, who seemed more reasonable. “Let us go.”

She held more tightly to the bow in her hands, looking more nervous by the second, but determined. Eventually she straightened up and nodded once to herself. “You can leave,” she said. “Take anything you can carry. The rest is ours.”

Well, these kids needed to make a living somehow. Neil glanced around at his things, seeing his boots and shortsword near the base of the tree he’d just climbed. Then, he turned back and exchanged a look with Andrew. “Do you swear?”

Robin nodded. “My word as an enchantress,” she promised.

Good enough. Neil nodded and walked towards Andrew, holding out one hand when he reached his partner. Andrew took it. “Yes or no?” Neil asked, tugging him forward.

Andrew continued to glare. “I hate you,” he growled, but gave an affirmative to Neil’s plan.

Neil crouched down and gently settled Andrew over his shoulder. It wasn’t like he was _heavy,_ but Neil didn’t work out for strength. He did it for endurance, so it was difficult to start walking, but he managed. Nobody moved to stop him, maybe out of shock or…

Or in amusement. The further he walked away, barefooted with the King of Palmetto over his shoulder, the more jeering shouts he heard.

“Wait!” Robin called. Neil slowly turned to look at her, seeing her grin. “Wait, let us give you a horse!”

As they walked through the woods with the raiders, Neil wondered how he’d thought these people could’ve been assassins. They were strong and knew how to fight, and there was Robin, but while these teenagers had been forced to grow up too quickly, there was still an air of childishness they still carried. Neil did the talking when they handed over a horse, asking how to get back to the main path and explaining they had been traveling with a party to get to Vixen. Robin then sheepishly told him they’d found the rest of their friends and were currently keeping them at their camp.

“It was Jack’s idea,” she whispered. “We’ve never taken hostages before.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Neil asked, glaring at the raider who’s voice he had yet to return.

“Jack’s not that bad once you get to know him,” Robin mumbled. After Neil gave her a look, she rolled her eyes and said, “Alright, he _is_ that bad. But you get used to it.”

Neil hummed in thought, holding more tightly to Andrew’s hand. Robin was leading the group along with a silent Jack, but both the witch and king had been reluctant to get too far away from one another. They didn’t trust these raiders, and Neil wanted Andrew close to him in case Robin suddenly decided to try anything funny. Not that he thought she would, since they’d been having good conversations so far, but the number of people he trusted were very few. 

It didn’t take long for them to reach the raider’s camp. It was in a small clearing next to a different river. A few caves had been decorated with no doubt stolen tapestries and other items. Some tents were set up and there was a huge firepit in the center. A few kids were already at the camp, and Neil easily spotted their friends tied to the trunk of a large tree, looking more irritated than injured. They were easily released and Robin asked to trade a meal and safe passage out of the forest for forgiveness. Andrew eventually grumbled an agreement to those terms.

The teenagers were good cooks and musicians. As night fell Neil found Robin again, wanting to talk as privately as they could. “You’re an enchantress?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “But I’ve been with everyone here for years.”

“You can use magic without an amplifier.”

She nodded. “Yes.” Slowly Robin raised her hands, creating the dark purple light that danced between her fingers. “It was hard to learn,” she explained, “but not impossible.”

“How did you learn to do that?” Neil asked, unable to take his eyes away from the way she moved her magic.

“I was forced to, I guess,” she said with a shrug. “I didn’t have an amplifier or weapons when I needed them the most, so I had to learn how to do it. It wasn’t easy, and wasn’t without scars.” She reached for the black gloves on her hands and tugged one off, showing off some puckered scars, looking like checkered squares on her skin.

Neil looked down at his own hands, not covered by gloves, and at the scars he had there from the last time he tried to use his magic without an amplifier. “I couldn’t find that balance. I need the shortsword to use it without burning up inside.”

“A few times I thought I would,” Robin admitted. “But I _was_ able to find it. I could teach you, if you’d like.”

The offer surprised Neil, especially since he’d barely thought about the future since arriving at the camp. But he supposed they wouldn’t see each other that much, given that these kids lived in a forest and stole for a living whereas he was currently the King of Palmetto’s court witch. He wanted to learn, he really did, but he hesitated and thought more with his answer.

“Thanks, but no,” he eventually decided. “Maybe one day. But I’m fine now. I don’t want to push myself and do something I’ll regret.”

“Hey, I’m sure it’s not for everyone,” Robin seemed to agree. “If you want to learn, you’ll have a teacher.”

He was pretty sure that Robin was too trusting, but he wasn’t going to turn the offer down. He grabbed one of the mirrors he was planning to give to Aaron as a wedding gift and handed it to Robin so that she could call him if she ever needed to, or if Neil ever wanted to in turn. She seemed surprised but grateful at the gift, even more so when he told her she was welcome at the palace anytime.

After that conversation, Neil got up and started moving through the crowd to find Andrew again. He was sitting near one of the caves with a bored look on his face, but Neil could see he was just tired from everything that had happened the past few days. He probably just wanted to get the traveling over with as quickly as he could.

He sat down next to Andrew. “They’re nice.”

“They’re raiders,” Andrew grumbled.

“Well, yes,” Neil agreed. “But they’re nice raiders. And they have to make a living somehow. At one point you and I weren’t much different from them.”

Andrew didn’t argue. “They should find a kingdom and work.”

“Yeah.” Neil frowned, thinking about how hard it was for his mother to find work when on the run. These kids wouldn’t have much more of a chance, especially since they’d focused so much on living in the forest and stealing. They’d need some real help to get back on their feet. “We should invite them to join the royal guard,” Neil suggested.

Andrew turned his head sharply to give Neil his _look._ “They just tried to kill us.”

“Yeah, and they almost succeeded. Imagine what they’d be like with some of Kevin’s discipline and Dan’s training.”

“I just want you to understand you’re asking me to invite possible assassins to join the royal guard.”

And, yeah, Neil was asking that. But it almost didn’t matter. “Don’t worry. You have me, remember? No assassin is going to get you if I’m around.”

Andrew looked away and grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but it wasn’t an argument. “Why do you care?” he asked instead.

Neil looked away as well, eyes getting drawn back to Robin and Jack and the other kids in the group of raiders. Seeing them and how they worked just reminded him of the past, when he too learned how to tell who was carrying expensive things to steal and would kill if he had to. When he looked at these kids, these orphans who found each other and worked together to survive, he wanted to help them. Make it so they could live instead, do things normal kids did. He and Andrew had the power.

“Because they’re just kids,” he said quietly.

And Andrew understood right away. He always did. He probably understood why Neil cared before he said anything at all. “Fine,” he sighed, as though he didn’t share the same feelings in the slightest. “But you have to convince them.”

Neil’s eyes caught Jack’s. Jack threw up the middle finger and mouthed something crude Neil didn’t want to think about. “I thought we always did things together or not at all.”

“That only applies when you’re about to do some self sacrificial shit.”

“Of course it does,” Neil whined, getting to his feet. As he walked closer to where Jack and Robin were, wondering if he should return Jack’s voice yet or not, he suddenly got an idea. A horrible idea that would surely upset Aaron and therefore entertain Neil. “Hey,” he said when he reached the two. “How do you all feel about attending a wedding?”

~*~

Queen Katelyn had a calm and optimistic exterior, but Neil was sure there was a part of her on the inside that wasn’t afraid to snap at someone if she had to.

When they finally arrived at the Vixen castle with a partly broken carriage and group of raiders, she hadn’t so much as blinked an eye. Aaron had covered his eyes with one hand in exasperation but hadn’t seemed that surprised, following his fiancee down the front steps to greet everyone. Nicky had been the first to get forward, shaking Katelyn’s hand and introducing her to Erik while Andrew hung in the back. When it was finally his turn to greet the Queen he simply shook her hand and grunted once. Katelyn hadn’t seemed deterred but Neil was pretty sure she and Andrew were locked in some kind of staring contest.

**“Who the hell are these people?”** Aaron asked Neil in Dwarvish while the staring contest went on.

**“They tried to kill us on the way here,”** Neil explained. **“We invited them to the wedding.”**

**“Of course you did,”** Aaron sighed.

Servants brought everyone to the rooms they would be staying in, quickly finding accomodations for the raiders until the wedding in two days. Neil looked around the room they’d been given, simple and yet lavish at the same time. Or maybe he was just too used to Andrew’s room in the palace.

“Katelyn seems nice,” he noted.

“Should’ve given you my knives,” Andrew huffed, laying down on the bed they’d been given. “You get them during the wedding. Or I’m using them.”

Neil was surprised. “I thought we were supposed to be proving there’s peace or whatever. And I’m pretty sure Aaron would hate you forever if you killed his wife.”

Andrew didn’t elaborate and Neil didn’t push.

The day before the wedding wasn’t anything special, just full of craziness as all the servants rushed for the last minute preparations. Neil and Andrew stuck to their room for the most part, only leaving when they had to. On the day of the wedding Andrew handed over his knives like promised before he got dressed in a dark suit with orange and white decals, the Palmetto crest pretty much sparkling where it was embroidered on his chest. Neil had been given a silvery white outfit with orange decals, and tucked Andrew’s knives into the dark boots he was wearing. With that they headed off to the chapel, where the wedding would take place.

The wedding wouldn’t start until noon, but that didn’t stop pretty much everyone that had come to see it from arriving early. The streets were lined with people, flower petals littered the ground and flags bearing the Vixen crest flapped slowly in the wind. The chapel was decorated beautifully with all types of flowers and ribbons. A dark red carpet marked the long aisle that Katelyn would walk down to reach the altar that Aaron and the priest would be waiting at. Aaron was wearing a gray suit and looked nervous. Probably because he was getting married, but that didn’t stop Neil from teasing him about it.

Privately he also thought that Andrew definitely completed his goal in outshining his brother at his own wedding.

After far too long a time of waiting for the wedding to start, some loud horns finally announced the arrival of the queen. Katelyn looked gorgeous in her dress, a cream colored white that seemed to have a pink tint to it, and the longest train Neil had ever seen. She was wearing her white jeweled crown over her veil and held tightly to a bouquet of yellow flowers. Nobody walked her down the aisle but Neil thought she looked powerful like that, a wide smile on her face as she made her way to the altar.

When it came to the exchanging of vows and everything else that happened Neil didn’t really pay attention, instead far more interested in looking over Andrew’s fingers that he was allowed to hold between his own. He was pretty sure Andrew wasn’t paying much attention either. The only reason he knew the ceremony was over was because of all the cheering when the couple kissed and then left the chapel.

The day was draining, but not in a bad way. They returned to the castle for a huge feast, Neil got time to talk to his friends and give Aaron his wedding gift. Neil was pretty sure the only thing that kept Aaron from hitting him in the middle of the huge throne room was Katelyn, but she was clearly trying to hide her laughter behind one hand when Neil explained how the height changing potion worked.

Neil ran back to Andrew after that exchange with a large smile on his face that Andrew liked to call his ‘I-just-talked-shit-and-I-don’t-regret-it’ face. He sat down at the table and looked towards the center of the throne room, to where most of the people attending were dancing while a band played. Neil didn’t have the urge to dance, and he was sure that Andrew didn’t either, but he figured it would be best to check.

“You don’t want to go on the dance floor and try to follow along?” he asked, pointing to whatever everyone was doing. Something he didn’t recognize that Nicky would be more than happy to teach him.

“No,” Andrew said firmly. After a second he looked around, then reached out to offer a hand. “I’m leaving. Yes or no?”

“To come with you?” Neil asked, reaching to take the hand. “Hm, let me think. Stick around here and watch people dance or leave here with you? How will I choose?”

“Too late, my offer’s already expired,” Andrew said under his breath, starting to pull Neil away.

Neil easily followed, letting himself be led through the empty hallways of the castle to reach the room they’d been given. No doubt tomorrow Andrew would make sure everyone was ready to leave, wanting to return home as quickly as possible, but for tonight they didn’t have to rush. Neil stopped when they reached the middle of the room, tugging Andrew’s hand to spin him around so they were face to face.

“I want to kiss you. Yes or no?” he asked.

“You’re one of _those_ people,” Andrew teased, stepping closer until there was barely any room between them. “You go to a wedding and suck up the romance in the air.”

“So you admit there’s romance in the air?” Neil asked, smiling.

“Yes,” Andrew said. “To the kiss, not the romance shit.”

“Of course,” Neil mumbled, leaning forward to connect their mouths. He sighed into it, thinking that the last time they kissed had to be before they started traveling. Not that they needed kisses to prove there was something between them, but kissing was nice. When they broke apart Neil crouched down to take Andrew’s knives out of his boots and gave them back.

Andrew put them down on one of the tables in their room. “I don’t want to think about my brother’s shitty wedding for the rest of the night,” he declared, turning back around and starting to unbutton his coat.

“To be fair, it wasn’t a shitty wedding,” Neil argued. “It was pretty, anyways. Boring but pretty.”

“Neil. Do you want to want to make out until we fall asleep or not?”

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Neil quickly said, rushing to try and take off his own coat. He had trouble with the buttons and even got his arm caught as he tried to take it off, feeling just a little embarrassed but managed not to focus on it. Especially when he looked towards the bed to see Andrew standing by the edge, shirtless and with that one tiny smile on his face. 

The smile he only gave to Neil.

“Keep looking at me like that and I might think there’s more than nothing to this,” Neil teased, keeping his own shirt on for the moment as he moved closer to Andrew.

“No ‘this’,” Andrew immediately replied, grabbing the hem of Neil’s pants when he was close enough. “And _you’re_ nothing.”

“And you always say that you want nothing,” Neil whispered, leaning close enough that their foreheads almost touched.

No argument to that statement. “Yes?” Andrew asked, ignoring what Neil said before.

“Yes,” Neil confirmed, letting himself fall forward.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again.
> 
> Urg first of all I want to apologize for how long it took me to get this out. I had to take a break because I needed to focus on schoolwork and I fell into a bit of a rut inspiration wise, like I have all the rest of the parts planned but I just couldn't do it for some reason. I'm glad I was able to get this part done, I wanted to add more conversations between the foxes but I just couldn't think of any so sorry y'all but we get mostly Andriel fluff this time around.
> 
> Anyways, I ended up having a ton of fun writing this. I just keep thinking of the part where Neil makes little fireflies to light up the way and it makes me so happy. I also got inspo from the movie Ever After, if you haven't seen it you should it's without doubt the best Cinderella story I've ever seen. Basically there's a scene where she and the prince are having a date in the woods, she climbs a tree to see where they are when they get lost and they get attacked by gypsies, who tell her she can walk away with whatever she can carry so she just picks up the prince and leaves it's majestic. 
> 
> End of my little rant lol. Thank you guys for reading, I really appreciate it and hoped you enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, I read them all and try to reply to them all as well. I have two more parts planned for this series I'll write and then I'm moving on to different Andriel stuff because for some reason the only inspo I get is for these nerds. If you have a prompt send it my way, I'll probably write it.
> 
> Stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands, my darlings!
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr if you'd like! @jingerhead


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